Couple Fakes Having Covid To Get Out Of Spending Christmas With Family
Is this the wrong thing to do?
PhotoMavenStock / Shutterstock.com A post on the Reddit thread r/TrueOffMyChest is making waves as we get closer and closer to Christmas and reach the peak of our collective holiday spirit and cheer.
However, for Reddit user u/DontCallMeShirley747 holiday cheer has been lacking for the last 5 years due to having to spend Christmas with his irritating family. So, this year, he decided to create his own festive cheer by lying to his family about testing positive for COVID in order to get out of going home for Christmas.
Was it wrong of him and his girlfriend to fake having COVID to get out of Christmas dinner?
The post, which feels like it belongs on r/AmItheA--hole Reddit thread, describes his and his girlfriend’s experiences in the past with going over to his family’s place to celebrate Christmas — with a disclaimer recognizing how lucky he is to have a family to celebrate with.
“Honestly, having done the last 5 years at theirs, we’ve just had it with them,” he starts the post. “They aren’t any happier at Christmas, so there’s just no point. They all just b---h and moan about how much there is to do with the food, decorations, etc even though it’s supposed to be fun.”
Christmas is about joy and merriment and having a good time with your loved ones, and it shouldn’t be spent with people who are just going to make that time worse for you.
“They don’t like Christmas music, despise Christmas movies, they refuse to wrap presents,” he continues, “and worst of all, they get visibly annoyed when my girlfriend and I try to have fun and make merry (while helping with the Christmas ‘effort’).”
This is just about the nail in the coffin on this post. Who doesn’t like Christmas movies? “Last Christmas” by WHAM! is a Top 10 song of all time, and wrapping presents is half the fun of giving and receiving them.
If you don’t like celebrating Christmas, and certainly aren’t doing it for the actual religious observance and not the consumer holiday, then what’s the point of partaking?
You’re just making yourself and those around you miserable when people are trying to have a good time — especially after some dark years the world has been going through.
“My girlfriend’s parents don’t live in the country and she can’t see her (VERY christmassy) family most years,” he explains.
“Let alone for the holidays, and I know the toll my parent’s unique brand of apathy and complaining takes on her from year to year, so this year we decided to just tell them that we’ve returned positive LFTs because we can’t be bothered to face them.”
He explains that when they told his family they wouldn’t be coming, they didn’t seem bothered by the news, and were maybe even relieved, despite him continuing to feel guilty about the move.
The comments showed an overwhelming amount of support for the couple’s decision because — like I previously mentioned — Christmas is supposed to be fun and about spending time with people you love, some people even made jokes about it.
“Get well soon,” said one Reddit user’s reply. “All excuses are reasonable,” said another.
But the reality is, they’re totally justified in not going to their family’s place, and got all the validation they needed for deciding so.
“You guys enjoy your holiday!! Don't feel bad at all. You guys deserve a holiday without all the teeth-gritting and fist-clenching this Christmas,” said one of the comments.
“You’re all good, my festivity-loving friend! I’d bet good money that you’re not the only one doing this either! Have the merriest of Christmases and all the best for the new year,” said another.
Some people expressed the whole point around the guilt of telling the lie, wishing that people would normalize just telling the truth about why they don’t want to go, but also recognized that it’s not always that simple and that regardless of the reason being given, it’s still OK.
Everyone deserves a happy holiday, any way they can find it.
Isaac Serna-Diez is a writer who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics. Follow him on Twitter here.